A Personal Vendetta
by StaindRedGlass
Summary: STORY 5: A person from the team's past returns with a personal vendetta against Gibbs. He targets Jamie in order to make Gibbs suffer for what he did. With the fastening of an explosive device, Gibbs has one chance to end it once and for all.
1. Chapter 1

Here's the 5th story in my series. If you haven't read the other stories, then I advise you to not proceed until you do. This is a series. It runs in sequence. To understand certain things (especially where Jamie came from), it's best to just start at the beginning. This series is kind of like my very own NCIS season 4. As of this point, the series consists of: story 1 A Link to the Past (comes in 3 parts)… story 2 Wrong Place, Wrong Time…. story 3 Second Job… story 4 Daughters… story 5 A Personal Vendetta (current story). Hope you enjoy it. NOTE: The series is now up-to-date on this website, so story updates won't come so quickly anymore.

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**Monday**

**Chapter 1**

Early Monday morning, in an old abandoned house somewhere along the Potomac River, a man has been working all night long. The house is boarded-up and unclean. A battery powered light is what illuminates a small area in the back of the house that the man needed in order to work on his project. On the wall, there are a couple photographs of three people. Three of the photographs have been blown-up to a larger size. The photographs of Jethro and Jamie Gibbs, and also Anthony DiNozzo just hang there on the wall. The man, who is sitting on a stool in front of the table, looks at the photographs.

"You'll pay for what you did Gibbs…"

The man stands up and walks over to the photographs. He leans against the wall right next to Jethro's photo. He looks into the eyes of the photo.

"Don't think your actions will go unpunished."

The man walks to the right in order to view the photo of Jamie. He leans against the wall near Jamie's photo. He gently glides his fingers across the picture of Jamie.

"Such a beautiful daughter you have Gibbs…"

The man looks back at Jethro's photo.

"It's a shame you'll have to loose her. But don't worry Gibbs… You'll join her in death."

The man walks back over to the table where the light is. Once at the table, he grabs a knife, quickly turns around and throws the knife. The knife lands in the head of Jethro's photo. He grabs another knife and throws it in the head of Jamie's photo. The man smiles evilly.

"You're time will come… Both of you."

The man sits on the stool. He continues working on his project. He fastens a couple wires to complete a bomb.

"The final bomb is set… Let's see if it works."

The man grabs a radio detonator. He pushes the button in order to arm the bomb. The little red light doesn't turn on. He looks at the detonator.

"Haha… Silly of me, eh Jethro. I forgot to attach a wire."

The man attaches a wire in the detonator. Then he pushes the button in order to arm the bomb. The little red light goes on. He looks at the photo of Jethro.

"What do you know, Gibbs… It works."

The man pushes the button once more. The little red light goes off.

"But you know what Gibbs… The next time this button is pushed. There will be no way to turn it off… Well, one could try pushing the button again, but I wouldn't recommend doing so. Cuz that would mean… Boom!"

The man continues working on the detonator for a couple more minutes. He makes a few minor adjustments to the detonator. He then makes a few minor adjustments to the actual bomb itself.

"There… Now if the button is pushed, it will arm the bomb. And if the button is pushed a second time… It's all over." The man said. "But that's not gonna be the only way this bomb is detonated. I got a little surprise in store for this fantastic device Gibbs."

The man gets up and walks over to the photographs again. He pulls the knife out of Jethro's photo.

"However this goes down… Just know… Your daughter will die."

There's a pause of silence before the man looks at Tony's photo.

"As for you you… You're just gonna watch the two of them die."

The man walks back over to the table. He turns around and throws the knife at Jamie's photo. The knife lands in the head of Jamie's photo, so now there are two knives sticking out of her picture. The man sits down and continues working on his device. He makes a few minor additions and puts the entire thing together. The man smiles evilly because he's now ready to do what he wants to do.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

It's Monday morning, around 8am, and it's been one week since the confrontation with Gibbs occurred. Since that confrontation ended with Tony getting fired, he's now looking for a new job. Tony is waiting at a local police station for his job interview that he setup late last week. He just sits on the bench waiting to be called in. Finally, Captain Charles H. Miller steps out from the hallway to Tony's left. Tony stands up as the man walks over to him.

"You must be Anthony DiNozzo." Captain Charles extends his hand to greet him. "Sorry about the wait, we had a couple druggies in the back that needed to be detained."

"Not a problem." Tony extends his hand to greet the Captain. "I'm just glad you're able to see me on such short notice."

"Come this way." Captain Charles leads the way and Tony follows. "My office is right down the hall."

They continue walking down the hallway to his office. Captain Charles H. Miller stands just outside the door to welcome Tony to go. Tony walks into the office.

"Would you like some coffee before we begin?" Captain Charles asked.

"Yes please." Tony answers.

"Just make yourself comfortable and I'll be right back."

Captain Charles leaves the room. Tony walks over to the wall to look at the couple trophies. He then walks to the chair in front of the desk and sits down. After a minute, Captain Charles walks back into the room. He walks over to Tony and hands him the coffee. He then walks around the desk, places his own coffee down and sits in his chair.

"Before we begin, I was just wondering what happened to your fingers?"

"On Friday I was outside playing football with a couple buddies. Things got a bit rough at one point." Tony lied.

"I understand… I used to be a football jock back in high school. Could've gotten a football scholarship to practically any college of my choice…"

"But you didn't?"

"No… I always knew my true calling was in law enforcement." Captain Charles said. "This is where I belong. It's where I was meant to be."

There's a moment of silence as Captain Charles looks over Tony's file.

Meanwhile, as Captain Charles is looking over Tony's file, Gibbs enters the building. He walks to the front desk.

"Excuse me Miss… Where can I find Captain Charles H. Miller?" Gibbs asked the lady at the front desk.

"His office is down the hall…" The lady points in the direction. "Make a right when you get to the end… Three doors down… Then make a left into the next hallway… And his office is the last door on the right."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

Gibbs begins walking in the direction the lady at the front desk told him to.

Meanwhile, back in Captain Charles' office, Charles finally looks up at Tony after his face was completely involved in looking over the file.

"I see you have a slight problem with remaining employed at a regular police precinct. The only job you've held for more then two years, was at NCIS."

"I know that looks bad…"

"From my viewpoint, it does. It makes me wonder just how long you would actually stay here… But…"

"There's a but?"

"There's usually a, but, with me… This precinct has been slightly under-manned the passed three months so I honestly wouldn't care if you only stayed for two years, or even one. We need the man-power."

"So in other words… I'm hired?"

Suddenly, the door to Captain Charles' office swings open and Gibbs walks into the room. In embarrassment, Tony slips down in the chair.

"You can't just barge in here!" Captain Charles exclaimed. "Who are you!"

"Special Agent Gibbs, NCIS." Gibbs flashed his badge.

"What do you want Agent Gibbs?"

"Him." Gibbs said as he points to Tony and walks over to the chair he's sitting on.

"Gibbs, I…"

Gibbs pulls out his handcuffs.

"Anthony DiNozzo, you're under arrest. Get up."

"What!" Tony looks up at him. He then looks at Captain Charles. "This man is completely insane."

"I told you to get up."

Gibbs grabs Tony and forces him to his feet. He then shoves Tony against the wall and begins putting the handcuffs on him.

"You're under arrest for possession of Narcotics."

"That's complete bullshit!" Tony exclaimed as the handcuffs are being slapped on. "Watch the fingers. Watch the fingers!"

After getting the handcuffs on Tony, Gibbs grabs him by the arm and begins walking toward the door. While passing the desk, Gibbs grabs the coffee was drinking. He takes a sip. He looks at Captain Charles.

"You call this coffee!" Gibbs said in disgust as he put the cup down on the desk.

After placing the cup down, he walks Tony out the door. Gibbs is now walking the handcuffed Tony down the hallway.

"Gibbs, you're such a fuckin bastard."

"Tell me something I don't already know."

"What the hell do you think you're doing here anyway!" Tony exclaimed. "You make it well known that I'm not good enough for Jamie… Screw you, by the way. You break three of my fingers… Also, screw you. You fire me… For a bullshit reason, so screw you. And now you completely ruined my job interview!"

"And your point is?"

"A job brings in money. And money is needed to pay rent. I need a job and you just completely destroyed any chance for me to get a job with law enforcement in this town!"

"You already have two jobs DiNozzo."

"What!" You're the one who fired me in the first place!"

"I never gave you permission to leave the building."

"I thought being fired was a sure way of saying, get the hell out of my face." Tony stated. "You know what Gibbs… You have issues and should seek professional help."

"Either way… Since you now have no chance at getting a job with law enforcement in this town… It looks like your ass belongs to me once again."

"Now you're re-hiring me! It only took you a week to come screw with my life again!" Tony exclaimed. "And what if I say no?"

Gibbs twists the handcuffs a bit.

"Ouch!"

"Still wanna decline the offer?"

"No…"

"Good."

Gibbs stops twisting the handcuffs. Gibbs and Tony continue walking toward the front door of the police precinct. Once outside, by Gibbs' car, he pushes Tony against the passenger side door.

"Hey! Go easy! Geez!"

Gibbs takes the handcuffs off Tony.

"Get in the car."

As Tony opens the car door, Gibbs walks around to the other side and opens the door on the driver's side. Tony looks across the car at Gibbs.

"Back in the station, you said I already have two jobs… What's the second job?"

Gibbs looks across the car at Tony.

"Keeping my daughter happy."

"So you approve?"

"No."

Gibbs gets inside the car. Tony sighs, takes a deep breath and gets inside the car. There's complete silence between them as they head back to the NCIS building.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Once Gibbs and Tony got back to the NCIS building, Tony went up to the work area while Gibbs went off to do something. Tony steps off the elevator and walks over to his desk. Ziva and McGee both look up from behind their computers.

"Welcome back Tony." Ziva greeted him.

"Yeah, welcome back." McGee also greeted him.

As Tony sits down into his chair, he sees Ziva and McGee get up. The two of them walk over to Tony's desk. He looks up at them.

"Whatever you're gonna say, just spill it. Come on, let's get this over with."

"Thank you so much for coming back." McGee stated.

"Huh?"

"Every since you were fired last week, Gibbs has been a real grouch to us." Ziva said.

"You're not gonna start pick on Tony day?"

"Why would we?" McGee asked.

"Besides… Now that you're back, Gibbs' bad side will be focused on you… Not us." Ziva stated.

"Just remember Tony, you're like Superman and Spiderman to Gibbs." McGee said.

"What did he call it again?" Ziva asked.

"If I recall correctly… It was SuperSpiderMan." McGee answered.

"You two are enjoying this, aren't you?" Tony looks up at them.

"Of course." McGee said.

"Every second of it." Ziva said.

"Both of you can kiss my butt." Tony smiled.

Ziva and McGee both notice Gibbs is standing by the stairs behind Tony's desk, just glaring at them. They immediately go to sit at their desks. They both sit down as Tony stands up out of his chair. Tony walks to the front of his desk and sits on the edge of the desk.

"You know what Gibbs' problem is?"

"Tony…" Ziva tried to get his attention.

"Not now Ziva." Tony said. "If you really thought about it, it'd take all day to make a list of Gibbs' problem…"

"Tony…" Now McGee tried to get his attention.

"Hush McGee… I'm in the moment."

Gibbs walks over and stands right behind the barrier which separates Tony's desk from the back stairs that lead up to MTAC and the Director's office.

"Problem one… Is the fact that he's stubborn. He has to make everything so difficult all the time." Tony stated. "Problem two… Is the fact that he's unreasonable. I mean, how on earth can I even reason with him when he won't even listen to me in the first place. Yeah, I'm dating his daughter Jamie and she's happy…"

"Tony…" Ziva tried getting his attention once more.

Gibbs, still standing in the same place, shakes his head as Ziva looks over at him. He nods his head as to just allow Tony to continue. She then looks at McGee to give him the same signal.

"Hey! What's with the head shaking?" Tony asked.

"Just a muscle cramp." Ziva replied.

"You might wanna get that checked out." Tony said. "You remember what happened here last week. I tried telling him the truth about what was up with me and Jamie, but he took the whole thing and just threw it in my face. Which brings me to problem three… He's too judgmental. In his eyes I'm definitely not good enough for Jamie cuz I've been labeled as a womanizer. I can sorta see why there would be cause for concern, but he didn't have to completely overreact about it. Ok yeah, the whole overprotective father thing cuz he lost her for 15 years, I guess I can understand that… Well… Not really. But you do realize with me and Jamie being together, that he's gonna be very insufferable. So you two are lucky. Gibbs' bad side is gonna be directed toward me for a long."

Gibbs shakes his head.

"Basically… Gibbs is stubborn… Unreasonable… Judgmental… Way too overprotective… Definitely gonna be insufferable… Slightly self-absorbed… Unrealistic… I could also add slave driver…"

Gibbs finally walks around the barrier, in order to walk to his desk.

"You forgot the word, bastard." Gibbs said as he walks passed Tony.

Gibbs places his coffee on his desk then he turns to the team.

"The three of you… Here, now."

Tony, Ziva and McGee all walk over to Gibbs.

"You all realize I heard every single word each of you said."

"Tony's presence provoked…" Ziva tried to say.

"It's Tony's fault…" McGee tried to say.

"In my defense…" Tony tried to say.

Before any of them could finish their sentences, Gibbs smacks Ziva on the back of the head. Then he immediately smacks McGee on the back of the head. Ziva and McGee walk to their desks in order to sit down. Gibbs looks at Tony. Tony lowers his head slightly. Gibbs walks around his desk and sits down. Tony is left standing with a look of confusion upon his face.

"You're not gonna smack me on the back of the head for talking about you behind your back?"

"No."

"May I ask why?"

"No you may not."

"But…"

"You feeling left out DiNozzo?"

"Well… Kinda."

"Good… Now go away."

Gibbs looks at his computer screen. Tony turns around and begins to walk toward his desk. He then stops. He turns back to Gibbs and walks over and stands in front of Gibbs' desk again. Gibbs looks up at Tony.

"Is there a problem DiNozzo?"

"I think you know what the problem is, Gibbs."

"You feel ostracized that I didn't smack you on the back of the head."

"It's not just that… But that's a start."

"I'm unreasonable, remember… So why would I listen to what you want to say?" Gibbs stated. "And don't even think about smacking the back of your own head."

Tony snatches Gibbs' coffee cup from off the desk and tosses it in the trashcan.

"Are you trying to provoke me into smacking you in the back of the head?"

"No…" Tony answered. "I'm just trying to be as much of a prick as you are."

Gibbs, sitting in his chair and Tony standing in front of Gibbs' desk, just stare at each other. Jamie steps off the elevator and begins walking toward the work area.

"Are you ever gonna approve of me and Jamie being together?" Tony asked Gibbs.

"He better..." Jamie said as she walks into the area. "Eventually… I hope."

Jamie walks passed Tony, walks around her father's desk and gives him a kiss on the cheek.

"Dad, can I borrow Tony for a little while?"

"Do I have a choice?"

"Not really." Jamie said cheerfully.

Gibbs looks toward Tony.

"Actually… I would love for you to take him out of my sight." Gibbs stated.

"Daddy… You need to behave yourself." Jamie said.

"Just get him out of here."

Jamie walks to the front of the desk, grabs Tony by the arm and the two of them begin to walk away. As they just passed Ziva's desk, Gibbs calls their attention.

"Jamie…"

"Yes Dad?"

"Whatever you do… Don't smack him on the back of the head."

"Got it."

Gibbs watches as the two of them walk to the elevator. They step onto the elevator in order to leave the building.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Tony and Jamie walk are outside the building just walking around together. Tony places his hand in Jamie's hand as they walk. Jamie looks at Tony and realizes something is bothering him.

"What's wrong Tony?"

"What makes you think something's wrong?"

"You mean to tell me there isn't? I know you Tony… I can tell something is bothering. And I'll take a guess it has to do with my Dad."

"Let's go sit on the bench over there." Tony said has he pointed to a bench that overlooks the Potomac River.

The two of them walk over to the bench that overlooks the river. Both of them sit on the bench. Jamie swings her legs over Tony's lap and looks at him.

"Ok… So tell me what's up."

"Why did your Dad re-hire?"

"Yesterday afternoon I got the chance to talk with him…"

"Wait… He sat down and calmly listened to everything?"

"Not exactly."

"Care to explain?"

"I went to visit my Mom's grave yesterday afternoon. I was pouring my heart out to her…"

"What does that have to do with…" Tony began to say.

Jamie places her finger over Tony's mouth to quiet him.

"Let me finish."

Tony nods.

"As I was pouring my heart out to my Mom, I had no idea Dad was standing behind a tree listening to every word I said. I told him everything… but not directly. He just indirectly heard everything."

"What exactly did you say? Cuz he's treating me like an outcast."

"Tony, he just needs time to get used to us being together."

"Like that will ever happen."

"It will… Eventually."

"So did he give me my job back cuz you asked him to or you told him to?"

"Actually… I never asked him. He gave you your job back out of his own choice. All I want is for him to approve of us."

"I hope he will soon… Cuz he's…"

"Not being regular Gibbs with you."

"Exactly."

"Just don't push it. Let him accept this on his own terms, in his own way, whenever he's ready to."

Tony looks into Jamie's eyes. He leans over in order to kiss her. They kiss each other on the lips. After a minute, Jamie backs up and looks at her watch.

"I have to get going."

"Where you going?"

"Remember the doctor's appointment I told you about."

"Oh yeah…"

"It's just a regular eye exam to see if my left eye has gotten worse or not. It's nothing major."

"Either way… Good luck."

"Thanks."

Jamie swings her legs back to the ground. She stands up, leans forward and gives Tony one last kiss before leaving. Jamie finally walks away as Tony stays seated on the bench looking out over the water. Jamie walks to her car, opens the door and gets in. She starts the car. Then she drives off to the main gate. After going through the main gate, she makes a right and begins driving down the street.

A man with a motorcycle was waiting on the side of the street. As Jamie's car passed the area, the man flips the dark visor down on his red helmet. He swings his leg over the red motorcycle. The man, who is wearing a red, white and black motorcycle outfit, begins to follow Jamie's car.

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**Three hours pass.**

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The team is sitting up at the work area, inside the NCIS building. Gibbs' cell-phone rings so he answers it.

"Gibbs…" He answers the phone. "Calm down…"

Tony, Ziva and McGee look over at Gibbs. As Gibbs listens, he tries so hard to not make the team think anything is tremendously wrong.

"Tell me where you are?"

Gibbs takes a moment to listen.

"I'll be there shortly."

Gibbs closes his phone. He looks at the team.

"What's going on?" Ziva asked.

"Who was that?" McGee asked.

"A bomb went off in town…"

"Was anyone hurt?" Tony asked.

"No one was hurt. It was an empty recruiting station." Gibbs stated as he didn't want to worry the team since he knows Jamie is not hurt, only a little startled by the blast.

Gibbs walks around the desk and the team anticipates what he's going to say. They begin grabbing their gear and Tony holds his hand upward in order to catch the keys that Gibbs will toss over to him.

"Grab your gear." Gibbs stated. He looks over at Tony who is ready to catch the keys. "McGee, gas the truck." Gibbs said as he tosses the keys toward McGee.

"What about Tony gas the truck?" Tony asked.

"If I wanted you to gas the truck, then I would've said so."

Gibbs walks passed the team and heads toward the elevator. McGee quickly follows Gibbs. Ziva walks up to Tony.

"Am I actually part of this team? Or am I just here for him to treat me like a leper."

"Give it time Tony."

"Do you two need an invitation!" Gibbs shouted.

Tony and Ziva run to the elevator. They all go to the truck and leave.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

After spending a couple hours at the crime-scene, searching through the piles of small debris left by the bomb, the team returned to the NCIS building. It's been an hour since all forensic evidence was brought down to Abby for testing. Gibbs finally enters the Forensics Lab to talk to Abby. Gibbs is holding a Caf-Pow for Abby.

"Tell me you got something for me Abs."

"I do."

"You gonna tell me or what?"

"Under one condition."

"What condition?"

"You scratch my back…" Abby points her back to Gibbs. "I can't reach where it itches and it's driving me crazy."

Abby lifts the back of her shirt up to expose her bare back to Gibbs. He places the Caf-Pow onto the table. Gibbs places his hand on Abby's back and begins scratching.

"Nice cross tattoo Abs."

"You say that every single time you see it."

"Maybe I just really like it."

"Move your hand up more."

Gibbs moves his hands upward over Abby's bare back and continues scratching.

"Just a little to the left."

Gibbs now moves his hand slightly the left and continues scratching.

"You got it! That's the spot!" Abby exclaimed. "Just keep scratching."

"You're enjoying this, aren't you?"

"And you're not?"

"It's not like I haven't scratched your back before."

"You know I love it when you scratch my back, or even just caress my back with your fingers." Abby stated. "Cuz you're just so good at it. When you scratch or caress my back, or give me a massage… It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside."

Gibbs keeps scratching Abby's bare back for a couple minutes. Abby finally steps away, pulls her shirt down and walks over to the table. She grabs the Caf-Pow and takes a sip.

"Ok… Let's get to work. I'm ready to go."

"So what can you tell me?"

"From all the pieces of the bomb that were found, I can tell you this… This bomb is the worst device I've ever seen in my entire life. A 10 year old could've made something better. This bomb is too simple. It's a very pathetic bomb if you ask me."

"Abs?"

"The amount of explosives used wasn't even enough to launch debris across the street. It was very weak. Also… The trigger device… It wasn't on a timer, motion sensor, nothing like that."

"How was it detonated?"

"It was detonated by means of a radio transmitter…"

"That's a common means of detonating."

"But this transmitter was weak. Everything about this bomb was weak. The person would've had to have been across the street in order for this bomb to go off. If the person was any further, it wouldn't have worked."

"Why would someone make an extremely simple, weak bomb?"

"I do not know. But all the bomb really did was destroyed the inside of the recruitment station." Abby stated. "Gibbs…"

"Yes Abs?"

"I don't think this bomb was meant to kill anybody."

"It was probably some punk kid who went to the recruitment station and got rejected. So he decided to blow the place up."

"Coming to conclusions already, Gibbs?"

"No… Just trying to think of possible reasons why someone would place a weak bomb in the recruitment station and detonate it when no one is close enough to get hurt."

"What do you want me to do?"

"Try to see if you can figure out where the parts came from."

"Already did that."

"And?"

"The parts are untraceable. No serial numbers. No distinguishing markings. There's nothing here that allows me to trace the parts."

"I have the team searching the recruitment records for rejections in the passed year. Maybe we'll get a hit there."

"Sorry for not being much help Gibbs."

"You helped plenty… Coming down here just to scratch your back was worth it. You definitely earned that Caf-Pow." Gibbs winks at Abby.

Gibbs walks to the door and leaves the lab. Abby is left with a big smile on her face.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Around 10pm at night, Ziva walks to her car. After getting to her car, she drives out of the NCIS parking lot and makes her way home. She pulls into the parking lot of the apartment complex she lives at. She drives the car into her parking spot. She gets out of the car and closes the door. As she walks to get from the parking lot, to the apartment building, a man comes up from behind her, quickly wraps his left arm around her and puts his right hand, which held a clothe, into her face. The contents of what the cloth was soaked in immediately put Ziva to sleep in a matter of seconds.

Two hours later, Ziva wakes up. She's tied to a chair so she can't move. There's also duct tape over her mouth so she can't talk. She looks around the room and sees a man sitting on a stool in front of a table with a battery-powered light. The man turns to look at Ziva. Her eyes widen as she recognizes the man.

"Don't look so surprised to see me."

The man stands up and walks over to Ziva. He walks around the chair she's sitting in and gently glides his hand across her cheek.

"Well… Maybe my presence is a bit shocking. But I assure you I'm quite real."

The man walks in front of Ziva and slightly kneels in order to be face to face with her.

"You don't look happy to see me again. You look more shocked and scared then anything." The man stated. "I can't believe my own sister isn't happy to see me. It breaks my heart Ziva. It truly does."

The man rips the duct tape from Ziva's mouth.

"But… You're…"

"Supposedly dead? I seem to get that lot for some reason."

The man puts the duct tape back over Ziva's mouth.

"Let me tell you something you don't know. Actually, for a long time, I didn't even know. And Dad, well… He still doesn't know." The man said. "Where to begin is the question."

The man stands up and begins walking back and forth in front of Ziva.

"Mom didn't just give birth to me. She also gave birth to another. My twin brother, Ira. I know… It's kinda funny when you think about it. Ira is Ari spelled backwards. But that's not the point. The point is… Mom gave Ira away. I eventually found Ira seven years ago. It was like looking in a mirror. We immediately bonded…"

Ari walks up to Ziva, kneels down to look her face to face.

"Gibbs took away the one person in my life who wasn't corrupted or influenced by the bullshit of Dad." Ari stated. "And for that… Gibbs must pay."

Ari walks into the next room. He wheels out another chair with a person on it, but hidden from view due to a cloth being over the subject of his vengeance.

"My dear sister… I'm sure you already know I'm rather pissed off at Gibbs and that I will make him suffer. And I'm quite sure you already know who is under this cloth."

He pulls the cloth off and tosses it to the side. Ziva's eyes widen as she sees Jamie tied to the chair with duct tape over her mouth.

"Gibbs killed the person who I held most dear to me. So I'm gonna kill who he holds most dear to him… His precious daughter."

He walks back over to see Ziva face to face.

"I shot Gibbs in the shoulder and it was only fair for him to do the same. When he finally shot me in the shoulder, I considered us to be even. I had no grudge against Gibbs at all. We were even in my eyes… Shoulder for shoulder. But for some odd reason, my brother Ira wanted to seek revenge. He wasn't a fully sane person, if you get my drift. He came here, pretending to be me. And it got him killed. I probably shouldn't hold a grudge against Gibbs for defending himself, but… How can I not? He took my brother away from me. You have no idea how much I've been consumed by hate and anger. I thought about death ever since that day. I loved my brother. I loved him more then anything. So the one who killed my brother, Gibbs, will die… Along with Jamie… And me… Let me show you something."

Ari stands up and walks over to the table. He picks up a vest in order to hold it up for Ziva to see.

"You see this bomb vest. It's a thing of beauty. I actually have three vests in total. I'm sure these types of bomb vests look very familiar to you. And yeah, I have the typical hand-held radio transmitter to detonate it. But here's where the surprise comes in…" Ari puts the vest down and grabs a couple wires to show Ziva. "I'm gonna attach these wires to the vests. They'll run from one vest to another. I'll probably have three or four running from vest to vest. If one of these wires is detached from the vest… BOOM! Or if one of the wires is cut… BOOM! Basically, these wires will run from my vest to the other two vests. The wires aren't gonna be long enough for whoever's wearing them to turn around. So those two people will be completely helpless. And if I get shot, that means I fall backward and the wires detach." Ari stated. "Whoever gets stuck wearing these vests… Are pretty much screwed."

Ari puts the wires down onto the table. He grabs a bottle and piece of cloth from the table. He walks over to Ziva as he's drenching the cloth with the contents of the bottle. He's now standing in front of Ziva and slowly putting the cloth toward her face.

"Don't worry sister. When you wake up, you'll be back home."

Ari puts the cloth over Ziva mouth and nose. After a couple seconds, Ziva's eyes close.

**CHAPTER NOTE:** I don't know if any of you picked on this or not, if you were to re-watch or recall the NCIS episode "Reveille" from season 1, you would notice that back in chapter 4 I gave you the following paragraph:

A man with a motorcycle was waiting on the side of the street. As Jamie's car passed the area, the man flips the dark visor down on his red helmet. He swings his leg over the red motorcycle. The man, who is wearing a red, white and black motorcycle outfit, begins to follow Jamie's car.

This paragraph was the clue as to who the bad man is, without having to actually say who it is. It's the description of Ari on the motorcycle in that specific episode. Maybe you picked up on it and maybe you didn't. Or maybe you already knew who the bad man is because of the story description.


	7. Chapter 7

**Tuesday**

**Chapter 7**

It's Tuesday morning, around the start of work. McGee and Gibbs are already up in the work area doing a couple things. Tony steps off the elevator and walks into the area. He looks at Ziva's desk as he comes in.

"Where's Ziva?" Tony asked.

"She probably got caught in traffic." McGee stated. "There was an accident along the route she takes to get here."

"Hey Boss." Tony greets Gibbs.

Gibbs glances up at Tony from behind his computer. Then he looks back down at what he's working on. Tony shakes his head and continues walking to his desk.

"McGee, did you finish running down the list?" Gibbs asked.

"Everyone on the list has an alibi for where they all were yesterday." McGee stated.

"You confirmed it?"

"All alibis are confirmed."

"So we have nothing?" Tony asked.

Gibbs glares at Tony from behind his computer.

"What do you mean, WE, DiNozzo?"

Tony slams his stuff onto his desk. He then walks over to the front of Gibbs' desk. McGee goes to his desk and sits down before a war is started.

"What the hell is your problem Gibbs! Why did you re-hire me if you're not gonna treat me like part of the team! If you have a problem with me and Jamie being together… Then I'll bend over and pull my pants down so you can kiss my ass!"

The two of them stare each other in the eyes. Finally, Gibbs stands up. They continue their eye-stare with only Gibbs' desk separating them.

"I see Jamie finally made you grow some balls. It's about time DiNozzo." Gibbs stated.

Gibbs sits back into his chair and Tony is left perplexed.

"That… That's it! Yesterday, I completely insult you and threw your coffee away. And now I just told you to kiss my ass. And you're not gonna do anything about it!"

"Nope."

Tony snatches Gibbs' coffee cup from the desk. Gibbs looks up at Tony. Tony grabs the trashcan and pours the contents of the coffee cup into it. Gibbs shrugs his shoulders and looks back toward the computer screen as if what Tony just did, didn't bother him at all. Tony puts the trashcan back down unto the floor. He then grabs a paper-towel, cleans the coffee cup of all left-over liquid contents, then throws the empty coffee cup at Gibbs' head. Gibbs turns his head to look at Tony. Both of them just stare at each other.

Suddenly, Ducky steps off the elevator and walks into the area. After Ducky walks to Gibbs' desk, Tony walks away in order to go back to his own desk.

"Ah, Jethro… I've been looking for you."

"Yes Ducky?"

"Last night, I remembered about something that happened back in London about ten years back."

"Ducky… Right now isn't a good time for a story."

"But this story may give you an answer as to what's going on here."

"Alright Ducky… Continue."

"Ten years ago in London there was a young man who was targeting empty shops and stores. He made weak bombs that would mostly just destroy the inside and blow some debris to the outside…"

"Ducky, does this story have a point?"

"Yes it does Jethro… You see, when they finally caught the man who was doing this, the reason he did it wasn't to kill anybody."

Tony and McGee walk over to Gibbs' desk where Ducky is standing.

"Why would someone set off bombs that aren't going to kill anyone?" McGee asked.

"That was the million dollar question… The man didn't want to kill anyone. His 17 bombs may have occasionally injured a couple people, but the injuries were never major. He would wait until someone got close enough to the store that had the bomb in it. If a person was way too close, he wouldn't detonate…"

"Then why?" Tony asked.

"He only wanted to scare and shock people. If you take a regular person, who has no military background, never encountered guns or any type of weapons and isn't too familiar with terrorism… Then a bomb that goes off right in front of them would be the scariest thing in the entire world. News reports would interview the people who were around when the bombs went off, they were all scared and shocked about what happened."

"So it was only a scare tactic…" Gibbs said.

"Precisely." Ducky said.

"The only person in the area when the bomb went off was Jamie." Gibbs stated. "Oh my God… The pictures that were sent to me… This bomb going off… Someone is after Jamie." Gibbs looks at Tony. "Did Jamie sleep at your place last night?"

"No…" Tony shakes his head. "She wasn't at your place?"

Abby runs into the area all excited.

"Abs! Did Jamie stay at your place last night?" Gibbs asked in a hurry.

"No... Why?" Abby's excitement quickly dies.

"Jamie's missing."

"What!"

Gibbs looks toward Tony.

"I hope you're happy DiNozzo cuz this is entirely your fault!"

"How is this my fault!"

"Since she never came home last night, I thought she was at your place! I could've been looking for her all night!"

"Like it's my fault you just assumed she was at my place last night! That's nice Gibbs… I guess I'm good for something! Being a damn scapegoat!"

"Guys! Abby tries getting their attention.

"If she wasn't so in love with you, then she wouldn't be missing!"

"So love is to blame! If you wanna blame anyone, you should blame yourself! If you weren't so overprotective, then maybe she wouldn't have gotten into trouble in the first place!"

"Guys!" Abby tries getting their attention again.

"Now you're saying it's my fault!"

"Yes!"

"She's been sneaking around with you this entire time! Most of the time I thought she was doing one thing, when really she was doing another! My own daughter was lying to me about where she was going all the time!"

"She had no choice! You wouldn't have accepted us being together and you still don't! And most likely never will!"

"You keep asking if I have a problem with you and Jamie being together… Well here's the answer you've been so dying to hear… YES, I do!"

"I knew it! You're never gonna approve of us! You're such a self-righteous hypocritical bastard!"

Abby smacks Gibbs and Tony on the back of the head.

"Will you guys stop it! For one minute forget about this stupid pissing contest and focus on the fact that Jamie is missing!" Abby exclaimed.

Both Gibbs and Tony look downward as they felt ashamed of themselves because they knew Abby was right. After a couple seconds, Ziva finally runs into the area.

"We have a major problem!" Ziva exclaimed. "Ari has Jamie!"

The team is left shocked at what Ziva just said.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

After Ziva mentioned that her half-brother Ari is still alive, an alarm starts blaring inside the NCIS building. It was a particular alarm that indicates a bomb threat. As the team begins to grab their stuff in order to evacuate the building, Gibbs receives a phone-call. He answers the phone. After a minute he puts the phone down.

"Everyone put your stuff down. We're not going anywhere people." Gibbs stated.

The entire team; Tony, Ziva, McGee, Ducky and Abby all look at Gibbs. The team huddles around Gibbs as he looks toward the elevator. The elevator door finally opens. Jamie and Ari step off the elevator and walk over into the work area. All the team is standing near Gibbs' desk, while Jamie and Ari are standing in front of Ziva's desk. Both Ari and Jamie are wearing his special bomb vests. With her right arm, Jamie is holding up a third bomb vest. The team notices the wires that run from Ari's vest and attach to the other two vests. They see Ari is holding a radio transmitter in his right hand and the little red light is on. In his left hand, there's a grenade with the pin already pulled so he's just holding the trigger switch down so it doesn't explode. There's also duct tape over Jamie's mouth so she can't talk.

"Shalom… It's so good to see you again Gibbs. It's a good thing the guard downstairs called you to tell you I was coming up cuz…"

"Cut the crap Ari! Jamie has nothing to do with this. This is between you and me."

"No need to be rude Gibbs. Besides, we have plenty of time." Ari stated. "You're not interested in how I'm still alive?"

"Not really."

"That's a shame Gibbs. I thought we were friends."

"Why don't you be a good friend by letting Jamie go?"

"Well… Not that good of friends Gibbs. So I think I'll just hang onto her for a little while longer."

"What do you want Ari?"

"You."

"Now don't I feel special…"

"You know Gibbs, when Jamie and Tony were sitting by the Tidal Basin a couple weeks ago, I could've taken her out with my sniper rifle at the time." Ari looks over at Tony. "Don't look so surprised Tony. Well… You probably should…" He said. "You know, Tony, when you gave her that violin, I seriously wanted to vomit. Then I seriously wanted to just put a bullet through her head cuz the lovely dovey bullshit was just making me sick."

"Why don't you take that bomb off and we'll see how sick I can really make you." Tony stated.

"Nah, don't think so."

"Figures… You chickenshit!"

Ari looks back in Gibbs' direction.

"Gibbs, keep your boy in check cuz I don't particularly like his attitude."

"Tony…"

"Fine." Tony said.

"You may not want to listen to me Gibbs, but you will. Cuz you have no choice since I'm the one in control here."

"You're the one who sent me the pictures of Tony and Jamie together, correct?"

"Yes, that was me. And I do hope my present was helpful." Ari looks toward Tony again. "The present must have been. I'm guessing Gibbs broke your three fingers."

"So what is it that you want to say Ari?" Gibbs asked.

Ari looks toward Gibbs again.

"If I wanted to, I could blowup this entire room. But I'm not. I came here for one reason."

"And what reason is that?"

"Revenge… You see Gibbs… You killed my twin brother, Ira."

"I thought he was you."

"After you shot me in the shoulder, I considered us to be even. That whole thing with Caitlyn being killed… That wasn't me. And I do apologize for the actions of my brother. I liked Caitlyn and would've never killed her. But for some reason, Ira was never really… How can I say it… He had a few screws loose. With my brother dead… Life just has no meaning for me anymore."

"You don't seem to be too far off with the few screws loose."

"Yes I'm here with a bomb vest, but it's not quite what you think Gibbs."

"How so?"

"You see… I don't intend to kill all of you. I'm not a monster."

"Could've fooled me."

"I only intend to kill three people here, including myself."

"Well… You definitely want me cuz of the whole revenge thing. But Jamie has nothing to do with this, so why not just take me. Either way you'll have your revenge."

"If I just take you, then why did I waste the time making three bomb vests? It would be a complete waste of a brilliant device. So I'd have to decline the offer of only taking you."

"Ari!" Ziva exclaimed as she steps forward. "This has gone on long enough. If you want revenge on anyone it should be me."

"And why is that dear sister?"

"I killed Ira."

"Ha! Don't try to be a hero Ziva. You can't save…"

"I'm not trying to save anybody here… Have I ever lied to you?"

"Actually, no you haven't. Especially for the fact that I know you're not telling the truth. I can tell if you're lying."

"Then look at me and tell me I'm not telling you the truth."

Ari looks at Ziva.

"I'm the one who killed Ira, not Gibbs. It was me. I acted in order to save Gibbs. And if it was actually you, I would've still pulled the trigger. Cuz if I had my gun pointing at you right now, I'd take you down."

Ari now looks at Gibbs.

"What do you know, Gibbs… She's telling the truth. Which means this whole time I've been mistaken. At least the truth finally comes out." Ari stated. "Ziva, it appears Jamie's arm is getting tired from holding the third bomb vest. So why don't you come over here, take it from her and very carefully, put it on. And do remember to watch the wires… You don't want all of us to accidentally go, boom."

Ziva steps forward. She takes the bomb vest from Jamie's arm. Slowly, and very carefully she puts the fest on with extreme caution in order to not have the wires detach. After Ziva getting the bomb vest onto herself, Ari looks at the team.

"Since I have three vests and I was mistaken about who actually killed my brother… I'm gonna give any one of you the opportunity to take Jamie's place."

"I'll do it." Tony said quickly, before Gibbs could even open his mouth. "I'll do it… I'll take her place."

"Ah, the faithful boyfriend… You just saved her life." Ari said. "Jamie… I want you to take the vest off. Do it slowly and very carefully. Then just hold it up, until the transfer, so it doesn't drop." Ari looks at Tony while Jamie doing what he said. "Tony… Once she has the vest off and she's holding it up, I want you to walk over here, take the vest from her hands and then put it on…"

"Slowly and carefully… I got it."

"At least we're all on the same page here."

Jamie finally slips the vest off and holds it up. Tony walks over and takes the vest from her. Tony and Jamie look each other in the eyes.

"Yeah, yeah… You two love each other…" Ari is sickened. "Jamie back up!"

"Jamie, come here." Gibbs said.

Jamie walks backward toward her father. Tony and Jamie keep their eye-stare. Jamie finally backs up far enough so that Gibbs was able to put his arm around her in order to hold her from possibly trying something she shouldn't. He holds her tightly against his chest. Gibbs pulls the duct tape from her mouth.

"Tony! Put the vest on! We don't have all day!"

Tony begins to put the bomb vest on. After two minutes, the bomb vest is on Tony.

"Well… It looks like we're ready. Guess I don't need this anymore." Ari tosses the grenade toward the left, where a hallway is. The grenade explodes in the empty hallway. "Ziva… Tony… Let's go to the elevator now."

The team watches as Ari, Ziva and Tony walk to the elevator. The three of them step onto the elevator and the door finally closes. Jamie steps away from her father. She turns around, looks at him with her eyes in tears.

"Daddy! Do something!"

Gibbs thinks for a second.

"He brought you by boat, right?"

"He has a Zodiac. We came from the river."

Gibbs looks toward Abby.

"He plans on taking them into the river to die… Abs, I need you to go to the storage locker. Get me two sniper rifles. I need an M82 50 caliber sniper rifle…"

"And the second?"

"For the second… Bring me a Kate. Get both rifles then meet me on the roof."

"On it." Abby runs in order to get to the storage locker.

Jamie grabs her father. They look at each other.

"What are you gonna do?"

"I'm gonna give them a chance."

Gibbs kisses Jamie on the forehead. He then walks away. Ducky walks over to Jamie and embraces her into his arms as she cries.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Just minutes later, Gibbs is waiting for Abby to bring the sniper rifles up to the roof of the NCIS building. While Gibbs is waiting, he's watching Ari's Zodiac boat being driven out into the river. The door to the roof finally swings open and Abby runs over to Gibbs who is on the side that overlooks the river. Abby hands Gibbs the two sniper rifles. He loads and prepares both rifles. Ari finally stops his boat in the middle of the river. Gibbs hands the Kate sniper rifle to Abby in order to hold until he's ready for it. He aims the M82 50 caliber sniper rifle in the direction of the boat. Gibbs waits patiently for a clear shot.

The bomb squad finally arrives. McGee is outside the NCIS building waiting for them. He takes his cell-phone out and calls Abby. Abby's cell-phone rings so she answers it.

"The bomb squad is here Abs."

"Ok… Just tell them to wait cuz we have a situation we need to defuse first."

"Can Gibbs pull this off?"

"Let's hope so."

Abby and McGee close their cell-phones. Abby looks toward Gibbs in hopes that what he has planned will actually work.

Meanwhile, in the Zodiac boat, Ari, Tony and Ziva now stand up. Ari is behind Tony and Ziva who are all facing the NCIS building, which means Ari is the furthest away since he's behind them. Tony has duct tape over his mouth that Ari put on him once they got to the Zodiac boat and before they went out into the river.

"Did you two ever think you'd die like this?" Ari asked.

"Ari, you don't have to do this." Ziva stated.

"Don't have to do what?"

"I'm the one you want, not Tony."

"Tony doesn't mind being here. It was his choice to save Jamie's life."

"Ari, what on earth happened to you?"

"What do you mean?"

"This just isn't like you at all, Ari."

"Things change. Shit happens." Ari said. "Besides… This is quite exciting if you ask me. Knowing that you're going to die in a matter of minutes makes you feel so alive."

"I know what it's like to lose someone…"

"Don't try to reason with me! You said it yourself… If you had a gun pointing at me, you'd shoot me. So don't give me your crap." Ari stated. "Both of you need to accept the fact that you're gonna die."

Meanwhile, up on the roof of the NCIS building, Gibbs continues waiting patiently for the perfect shot. He finally sees a chance. Gibbs aims the sniper rifle at the wrist of Ari's right hand, the hand that's holding the radio transmitter that can detonate the bomb vests.

"Ziva… Please read this." Gibbs said softly to himself.

Gibbs pulls the trigger of the M82 50 caliber sniper rifle. The bullet goes racing through the air toward the Zodiac boat. The bullet hits Ari's wrist. The force of the blow completely tore off his right hand. Ari's right hand goes flying into the air and eventually lands in the water. As soon as Ari is hit, Ziva turns her head to see. She then looks at Tony.

"Overhead shoulder grab!" Ziva exclaimed.

Both Ziva and Tony quickly reach their arms over their heads. They move back slightly and immediately grab hold of the part of the vest that runs over Ari's shoulders. They both clinch the specific part of the vest with their hands. Finally, the second shot, from the Kate sniper rifle goes racing through the air toward the Zodiac boat. The bullet penetrates though Ari's head. Ari dies instantly.

Ziva and Tony are left standing in the Zodiac boat, in the middle of the river. They're both relying on their muscles, specifically their triceps, to hold Ari's dead body up so that he doesn't fall which would detach the wires from the vests.

Back on the roof of the NCIS building, Gibbs runs to the edge of the building in order to look down toward McGee and the bomb squad.

"It's clear! Get out there and bring my agents in!"

The bomb squad moves a couple of their own small boats to the water. After putting their bomb defusing equipment into the small boats, they quickly make their way toward the Zodiac boat to defuse the bomb and get Ziva and Tony to safety.

Gibbs and Abby are still on the roof. They're watching as the bomb squad makes their way out to the Zodiac boat.

"How did you know that would work?" Abby asked.

"I didn't." Gibbs replied.

"You were just taking a chance with this whole thing?"

"Sometimes, one chance is all we get in life."

There's a moment of silence.

"You know… Watching you fire those sniper rifles kinda turned me on." Abby winks at Gibbs.

Abby turns back to look out at the river where the bomb squad is now trying to defuse the bomb vest. Gibbs moves slightly behind Abby. He wraps his arms around Abby from behind. The two of them look out over the river.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

As the bomb squad finally defused the bomb vest and are helping Tony and Ziva into their own boats in order to bring them back to land, Gibbs and Abby finally go back inside. Gibbs and Abby enter into the work area where Ducky and Jamie have already heard the good news. As Jamie sees her father, she immediately runs over wraps her arms around him. Gibbs puts his arms around Jamie as well. Abby walks away to give them some time alone.

"Thank you for saving the man I love." Jamie said.

"And what about love for me?" Gibbs asked.

"You're getting it right now."

"What if I don't wanna share that love?"

"You have no choice."

"When do I ever have a choice with you?"

"Never..."

Jamie slightly backs away from her father. She then turns to walk away but Gibbs grabs her by the hand. She turns back to him.

"What is it Dad?"

"I thought I lost you today. I can't lose you a second time. I wouldn't be able to handle it."

"You're not gonna lose me."

"You're right… I'm not." Gibbs said. "From now on, wherever you are, even if you tell me where you're going, I want you to always call me at midnight, so I know you're safe. Also, from now on you're gonna wear a couple things that have a GPS locator so I can tell where you…"

Jamie places her finger over her father mouth to quiet him from what he's saying.

"Every night… Midnight on the dot, you'll receive a call from me. And at the time, if I'm not at the place I'll be sleeping at, whether it's at Abby's or Tony's place, as soon as I get there, in a safe place, I'll call you again." Jamie stated. "As for the GPS locators… I don't want you to lose me. I don't wanna be missing… Ever. So yes, I'll wear as many GPS locators that you can stash on me." Jamie places her hands onto her father's cheeks and looks him directly in the eyes. "You're never gonna lose me."

The elevator makes a noise indicating that the door is going to open in a couple seconds. Jamie eyes immediately move to the left. Tony and Ziva step off the elevator.

"Jamie…" Gibbs tries to get her attention.

"Yes?" Jamie moves her eyes back to look at him.

"Go."

Jamie smiles, turns and quickly runs to Tony who is now near the window. She jumps on Tony and begins kissing him all over his face. Ziva and McGee are also near the window talking with Ducky and Abby. Gibbs takes a moment to look at his team, his family. Gibbs finally cracks a smile and walks over to where everyone else is. Jamie slightly backs away from Tony and they just stare at each other while holding each other's hands.

"I knew you'd come thru for us Gibbs." Ziva stated.

"I wasn't gonna allow two of my agents to be blown-up. It would be too much of a pain-in-ass trying to find decent replacements. Besides… I didn't give you two permission to die."

Tony turns his head to look at Gibbs.

"Woo… Hold up… Did you just say, two of my agents? Two, as being a plural form of the number one, which actually includes me…"

"DiNozzo…"

"Yeah Boss?"

Gibbs smacks Tony on the back of the head as hard as he possibly could.

"Shut up." Gibbs said.

Gibbs walks away in order to go to his desk as Tony begins rubbing the back of his head. In the excitement of getting smacked on the back of the head, Tony turns to look at Jamie.

"He approves." Jamie said with a smile.

"That was the hardest Gibbs-slap I ever received." Tony said as he continues to rub the back of his head.

Once Gibbs is at his desk, he sits on the edge of the desk and looks at everybody by the window.

"DiNozzo!"

"Yeah Boss?"

"In the passed two days you threw two of my coffees away."

"Yeah, about that, I…"

"There better be two coffees waiting for me on my desk by the time I get here tomorrow morning."

"Right Boss."

There's a moment of silence as Tony turns his attention back toward Jamie.

"DiNozzo!"

"Yeah Boss?"

"Take your hands off my daughter."

Jamie giggles as she shakes her head. Tony takes his hand off Jamie and backs away slightly. Gibbs sits at his desk and smirks.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

Tuesday night, Jamie is staying at Tony's place. The two of them are getting ready to get into bed in order to go to sleep. Tony takes all of his clothes off and slides into bed. Jamie does the same. They pull the covers over themselves so that only their head and shoulders are exposed to the openness of the room. Tony is lying on his back facing the ceiling. Jamie slides herself closer to Tony. She turns and lies slightly on top of him. She rests her head on his chest and she caresses his left arm with the fingers of her right hand.

"How are your fingers?" Jamie asked.

"After today's fiasco… My fingers are hurting quite a bit." Tony stated.

"It sucks having to hold up a dead body when you have three broken fingers, eh?"

"Yes it does… But it was worth it."

"I still can't believe you didn't even hesitate to take my place in that vest."

"When I saw you with that bomb vest on, the only thing I could think of was how much I love you and how much I just wanted you to be safe. So when he gave the opportunity for any one of us to take your place, the word hesitation didn't exist. I could only think about your safety. I'd take your place in a bomb vest every single time. You mean more to me…"

"Are you gonna start that whole mushy, I'd die for you speech?"

"I guess I'm not."

"Good… Cuz you never need to say it to me."

"Can I say something else then?"

"What else could you possibly say?"

"Today made me realize something… Made me realize how much I can't live without you. To not have you near me. To not be in the same room as you. To not…"

"What the hell are you saying?"

"I guess what I'm trying to say is… You mean more to me then life itself. And if you'd take the offer…"

"What offer?"

"Are you gonna let me finish?"

"Sorry… You can continue."

"As I was saying… If you'd take the offer of what I'm about to ask, you'd make me the happiest guy in the entire world."

"You're killing me here… Spill it already."

"Do you think Gibbs would have a hard time accepting me as a Son-in-Law?"

"Huh…"

Jamie turns and lifts her head slightly to look at Tony as she somewhat shocked.

"Are you asking me to marry you?" Jamie asked.

"And what if I am?" Tony asked back.

Jamie lays her head back onto Tony's chest.

"Tony… You would need to understand something before you can truly ask me that." Jamie said.

"Understand what?" Tony asked.

"Married couples live with each other. But it would be much different with me. I lost 15 years with my Dad as it is. I can't just leave the house. I can't abandon him. As much as I love you, I also love him. He'll always be a big part of my life. I need him just as much as he needs me. It's always gonna be that way."

"And I fully understand that. If you were to accept the offer and only sleep here one night a week or never sleep here at all, I'd be happily content with that. I would never try to come between you and your Dad."

"That's good."

"So what do you say… Will you marry me?"

"Are you just asking me cuz you're hoping to get laid tonight?"

"No… I'm asking you cuz I love you."

"I'll have to think about it." Jamie joked.

Tony slowly sits up as Jamie falls off to the side trying to hold her laughter in.

"You'll have to think about it? Well let me help you make a decision."

Tony leans forward and begins tickling Jamie. She begins to squirm as he tickles her.

"Haha!" Jamie laughs.

"Have you made a decision yet?" Tony asked as he continues tickling her.

"Haha! Yes! Yes I have!" Jamie continues laughing.

Tony stops tickling her. He lies on his side and looks at her. Jamie turns her head toward Tony. She smiles and looks him in the eyes.

"Yes I'll marry you." Jamie said.

Tony smiles as he's never been as happy as he is right now. He leans forward, places his lips on Jamie's lips and begins kissing her. Jamie wraps her arms around Tony as they kiss.

That night, Jamie made the choice to do something with Tony that they haven't done before. After making love for the first time, they finally went to sleep, cuddled in each other's arms.

**THE END**

This concludes the story "A Personal Vendetta". Coming soon will be the next story in this series. But until then, I hope you enjoyed this story.


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